BBM update brings Android Wear support, ad-free option and more

While Blackberry’s hardware division is still struggling to turn the company’s ship around, Blackberry Messenger has at least found a modicum of success on outside platforms including Android. Now at MWC 2015, Blackberry announced it is preparing to take the experience up a notch by introducing a few new features and a few new paid options in the latest update to its app.

When it comes to features, there’s really two new things on offer: photos in group chat, and support for the Android Wear platform. It is the latter of these features that is most interesting, letting you read and reply to messages right from your wrist.

As for the paid aspects? For those that wish their PINs were nothing more than then a random string of characters, you can now pay $1.99 per month to have a custom PIN. While certain restrictions apply, custom PINs let you use both numbers and letters, though the PIN must be at least 6-8 characters long. The other paid option is the ability to remove ads for $.99. No, not one time — reoccuring every month.

While some folks might be willing to pay monthly for an add free experience or to get a PIN that’s easier to remember for sharing with friends, you think a one time low cost fee or a once a year fee would be a much easier sell than the current monthly payment scheme. For Blackberry fans interested in Android Wear support, group chat photos and/or new montly ‘premium’ options, you can now grab the updated app on Google Play.